It wasn't forged by crafty pre-fight salesmanship. Instead, the exciting history shared by these two men is punctuated by the respective skills, pedigree and raw performances that redefined the expectations of a No. 1 heavyweight facing off against No. 2.

Will dos Santos regain his former title with the same swiftness he exhibited in his first outing against Velasquez, or will he walk away even more battered and defeated than in the last attempt?

There's no denying that, thus far, they've split the fights evenly. But when the lights drops inside Houston's Toyota Center, MMA fans worldwide will bear witness to the rubber match of what is sure to become an iconic Octagon rivalry.

Just think—it's the finale to a night prefaced with names like Daniel Cormier, Gilbert Melendez, Diego Sanchez and many more.

Just in case you're not at the edge of your seat already, Bleacher Report has you covered with a dynamic guide to UFC 166's stacked fight card.

Rewatch Velasquez vs. Dos Santos II

A "Cigano" overhand right was the key ingredient in Junior dos Santos' formula for success when he first stripped Cain Velasquez of the heavyweight title.

As soon as the rematch was announced, many surmised that it would be nothing short of a repeat performance.

Courtesy of the UFC's official YouTube channel, we have a free reminder of just how wrong it was to bet against Velasquez in the rematch. Over the course of 25 minutes, his unrelenting assault took place in all corners of the Octagon.

Though he couldn't finish dos Santos, Velasquez managed to return the favor by dropping "Cigano" with his own well-timed overhand right.

With both men considerably improved as a result of the trials and tribulations in the two years since their first bout on Fox, we can only begin to imagine what they have in store for Saturday night.

Will a fully primed and ready dos Santos land a decisive blow early in the fight, proving that his first attempt was no fluke? Or will Velasquez continue his demolition of the Brazilian, reminding the world that a great divide separates him and the No. 2 in his weight class?

Regardless of the outcome, this bout is all but guaranteed to conclude their trilogy but spawn countless conversations from MMA fans worldwide.